Media with questions about these Marines can call the Twentynine Palms
Public Affairs Office at (760) 830-6213.

December, 5, 2005:

Funeral services not yet scheduled for local
Marine

Funeral services have not yet been scheduled
for Staff Sergeant Daniel J. Clay, 27, the Washington High School graduate
who was one of 10 Marines killed Thursday by a roadside bomb near Fallujah,
Iraq.

Clay's father, Bud Clay, said Sunday that he
expected to know more today about the arrangements. He said the family
was considering a memorial service at Pensacola Naval Air Station, although
his son likely will not be buried locally.

"Before they go off, they have a sort of 'what
happens if you don't come back' session, and he had talked about Arlington"
National Cemetery, Bud Clay said.

He said his son's body likely would be returned
to the United States later this week. He said the family did not want to
discuss the death publicly.
December, 6, 2005:

Fallen Marine to be honored Saturday

Visitation and a memorial service for Marine
Staff Sergeant Daniel J. Clay, the former Pensacola resident who was killed
in Iraq last week, will be conducted on Saturday at the Pensacola Naval
Air Station chapel.

Visitation is to begin at 11 a.m., with the
service set for 11:30 a.m.

Clay, 27, will be buried at Arlington National
Cemetery on a date yet to be determined.

The 1996 Washington High School graduate was
one of 10 U.S. Marines killed Thursday by a roadside bomb near Fallujah.

Posted on Wednesday, February 1, 2006:

President Bush singled out a fallen Marine
from Pensacola in his State of the Union address Tuesday night, using the
words of Staff Sergeant Daniel J. Clay to bolster his case for staying
the course in Iraq.

Clay, who was killed by a roadside bomb in
December, left behind a letter to his family, Bush said, ``but his words
could just as well be addressed to every American.

'I know what honor is,' '' Bush said, quoting
Clay. 'It has been an honor to protect and serve all of you. I faced death
with the secure knowledge that you would not have to. . . .Never falter!
Don't hesitate to honor and support those of us who have the honor of protecting
that which is worth protecting.'''

As Bush spoke, Clay's parents, Clarence and
Sara, and his widow, Lisa, were among First Lady Laura Bush's guests in
the gallery.

Clay, 27, was among 10 Marines killed in an
insurgent explosion in the Iraqi city of Fallujah on December 1, 2005.

''Our men and women in uniform are making sacrifices
-- and showing a sense of duty stronger than all fear,'' Bush said.

"They know what it is like to fight house to
house in a maze of streets. . . to wear heavy gear in the desert heat.
. . to see a comrade killed by a roadside bomb. And those who know the
costs also know the stakes.''

Florida Senator Mel Martinez, a Republican,
spoke of Staff Sergeant Clay in remarks on the Senate floor days after
his death, a result of the deadliest attack against American troops in
four months.

'Knowing the danger he faced, knowing the unpredictability
of war, Staff Sgt. Clay wrote a letter to his family to be opened only
in any event of his death. He wrote in part, `what we have done in Iraq
is worth any sacrifice. Why? Because it was our duty.' ''

The Marine, who is buried in Arlington National
Cemetery, was a member of the Junior ROTC program and enlisted shortly
after his high school graduation in 1996.

At the time of his death, the Pentagon said
Marines were inside an abandoned flour factory being used as a patrol base
when the so-called improvised explosive device detonated.

They were all based in Twentynine Palms, California,
and assigned to the II Marine Expeditionary Force in Iraq.At least 102 Florida service members, including
active military, reserves and National Guard, have died since the start
of hostilities in Iraq. Another 13 have died in Afghanistan and one in
Kuwait.